“Of course I know that. But the court of public opinion and the people of this nation will only see a breach in American superiority. Our government suddenly appears incapable of providing the security that the nation expects.”
“Which is all the more reason why we have to make things right,” Bohlmer returned.
The president closed his eyes, his headache abating little. “We’re doing all we can, Jonas,” he answered weakly, “given what we have to go on.”
“I agree. But there’s still an issue we need to address.”
The president opened his eyes. “Such as?”
“Shari Cohen.”
The president raised his hands intuitively. “Please, Jonas, we’ve already discussed this matter upstairs, and your concern was duly noted. But her presence in this matter is vital.”
“Her presence, Jim, is dangerous. How many people do you think are working on this right now?”
The president shrugged. “A lot.”
“Exactly. A lot. And how long do you think it’ll take for somebody from the Post, the Times, or the Globe to make an offer to someone who is willing to divulge the fact that a woman of Jewish faith is manning the team? You know as well as I do that leaks are caused by those who are willing to set aside their integrity for a pocketful of change. It‘s a fact, Jim. And I’ll bet you anything that you have somebody up there right now who’s willing to sell their mother upriver for a can of beer.”
“We have a failsafe in place against leaks.”
“Jim, a failsafe is not foolproof. You know that.”
“What do you want me to do? Take the best person I have off the job because of her religious background?”
“In this case, yes! You know what the Soldiers of Islam will do to the pope if they find out Cohen is tracking them. Not because of what she does, but because of who she is.”
“If I remove every qualified person from their positions because of their religious affiliations — or any of the rights granted them by the Constitution — then the terrorists already won the battle by forcing me to make decisions based on insurgent beliefs.” The president closed his eyes, the pain beginning to erode his patience. “You need to have faith in our work force, Jonas. Shari Cohen is an unbelievable power. And when all this is over with, they’ll be kneeling at her feet. Believe me.”
“And you need to be realistic. You know we won’t be able to meet their demands, whatever they may be. And deep down you know they have every intention of killing him.”
“Jonas, if they were going to kill him, then they would have done so when they stormed the Governor’s Mansion; they‘re keeping him alive for a reason.”
Bohlmer left the podium, his hands gesticulating wildly to press his point. “Jim, the Soldiers of Islam are making a powerful statement to the world that they’re in control and gathering steam for recruitment by doing what they’re doing. It’s all about giving hope to insurgents by instilling in them the belief that a battle can be fought and won on American soil.” Bohlmer took in a long breath, then sighed. “They’re going to kill him, Jim. You know that. Let’s not give the media a rope to hang us with by keeping Cohen in the game. This will doom the entire administration.”
“Look, nobody understands better than I do that saving the face of this administration is paramount. But if I remove Cohen as head of the team, the probability of finding the pope decreases immensely. With Cohen at the helm, there is a chance that he will be found. If the pope is alive, I must make every effort to save his life using whatever resources are available to me. And Cohen is a valuable asset.”
“Cohen is going to get him killed!” The vice president was becoming heated. “Think about it! The moment a leak is established, his life will be over. There will be no more opportunities to track down this cell and the Soldiers of Islam will disappear.”
The president weighed the possibility that Bohlmer’s judgment was correct. With a topic of this magnitude, a leak could most certainly occur, despite the failsafe put into place. In all likelihood the media had already attempted to contact White House moles for information that hadn’t been made public. If Cohen’s name should hit the airwaves, the odds of the pope being executed would rise exponentially. And then the accusing finger would point at his administration. The newspapers would go on a feeding frenzy, attacking Burroughs for allowing Cohen to manage the team, even though the dangers were acknowledged beforehand by his staff.
“She’s the best we have,” he finally stated.
“She’s a guaranteed death sentence for the pope if the Soldiers of Islam find out that a woman of Jewish faith is behind the investigation. I can’t stress that enough.”
“She stays, Jonas. I’m not particularly afraid if I hurt the feelings of the Soldiers of Islam. As long as the pope’s alive, she’s the most qualified to find him.”
“You may not be afraid of the Soldiers of Islam, but you are afraid of how the world community will perceive you should this blow up in your face.”
President Burroughs raked the vice president with a fierce eye. “She stays, Jonas.”
The vice president was becoming ill-tempered, his face becoming ruddy. He was not used to losing ground in an argument. “Jim, we’re never going to find him. And do you want to know why? It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack the size of Manhattan.”
He then stood back, found his calm, and spoke in a much gentler tone.
“Look, Jim, this is politics. And we both know that we need to cover our bases on this one. As much as I feel sorry for the pope, and as much as I would love to find him, we can’t let our emotions cloud our judgment. The reality is that the probability of finding him is zero to none.”
The president’s eyes settled on Bohlmer, his demeanor stern and unrelenting, but his voice remaining calm. “I know this is politics,” he said. “But it’s better politics if we put in the best there is and make a concerted effort to find him.”
The vice president looked incredulous. “I don’t get it,” he said. “The picture is right in front of you, yet you continue to put us and the rest of this administration in jeopardy because of her.”
The president remained silent.
“If I didn’t know better, Jim, I would swear you want this to happen. That you want the media to know—”
“That’s enough, Jonas.” The president held up his hand, knowing what Bohlmer was about to say. “I’m not going to argue this point with you any longer. I have based my decision on our government’s potential to find the pope and bring him back alive. If you’re afraid that my decision will determine what the Soldiers of Islam will do to undermine this administration, then deal with it. Once again, your input is appreciated and duly noted.”
Bohlmer took a step back, his jaw tight. “All right,” he said. “But you’ll have to live with your decision, Jim. When they kill him, and they will, I hope you can stand on your own two feet. I tried to reason with you.”
“I’ll stand alone on this if I have to.”
“I just wanted to let you know where I stood.”
The president nodded his head. “Noted.”
After Bohlmer left, the president wondered how much of a gamble he was taking by leaving Cohen in the lineup. He hated to admit it, but there was merit in what the vice president said.
With the ache in his temples sharpening into a stabbing bout of pain, the president leaned forward in his chair and placed his face within his cupped hands, wondering how the game of politics was going to play out.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN